Finding Me
by gallaghergirlatheart
Summary: Cammie goes to England to look for her dad, finding love on the way. Fitting into her famous father's life isn't easy, especially when she is thrust into the media spotlight. Join Cammie in her journey to finding her dad, love and most importantly, herself. *No Spies*
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gallagher girls characters, even if I wish Zach was mine!**

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! So I decided to write this story lightly based on the movie 'What a Girl Wants'. I'm just going to see how this goes, if this story fails miserably then don't hate me! Anyway, here's chapter 1 :)**

As a kid, living with her mum in a small apartment above a coffee shop in NYC, I always felt as if a part of me was missing. That part was my dad. I don't know him, never have. Some people say that you can't miss what you never had, but the tightening in my chest that I feel when I see a little girl giggling, sitting on their father's shoulders, that ache deep inside me proves them wrong. When I was younger, I used to be jealous of my friends when they would talk about their 'daddy daughter days', but now I see that this is just a part of life. There are tons of kids that got dealt a way shittier hand than I had, with no parents at all. At least I still have my mum.

My mum, Rachel Cameron, is a level-headed woman who knows what she wants, and how to get it. Working in an art gallery on the better side of Manhattan, my mum earns a good enough salary to keep us in our small but cosy apartment. One of the downsides of her job is the long hours. There are so many late night gallery openings and showcases of hot new artists, and mum has to go to every single one of them. For me, this means many lonely nights watching _Friends_ reruns and eating cookie dough ice cream.

I would say that my mum and I get along fairly well. We aren't around each other enough to really fight, and when we do get a few hours, we cherish them in what my mum calls 'bonding time'. Usually this consists of multiple card games whilst drinking beer or hot chocolate, depending on how much of a good mood she is in. I'd also add that my mum trusts me, more than most teenagers would be trusted. I've had to grow up more quickly than other kids, being home alone so much, and my mum realises that. I guess this trust that she has in me is meant to be some sort of reward.

The only time my mum and I ever argue is when I bring up my father, or 'the sperm donor' as my mother likes to call him. Matthew 'Matty' Morgan is a sore subject with my mum. According to her, he's always charming and smooth talking when you first meet him. Clearly he charmed her into marriage in Vegas seventeen years ago, though that could have just been the alcohol working it's magic. Matthew and my mum stayed together in the US for about 3 months before work called him back to the busy city of London, England. He'd asked my mother to go back with him, and she flipped, saying she couldn't just leave her life in New York for a guy. Matty fled, and a month later my mum found out she was pregnant with me. Apparently when my mum tried to call, some woman answered the phone, saying he was busy with _business_. I've always wondered exactly _who_ Matthew Morgan is. Would he like me? Does he have a family of his own? Every time I mention him to my mum, she gets angry, and starts ranting about how you should never have to change yourself for any man. She also likes to mention that if he can't even be bothered to return a call or consider his wife and child (which he doesn't know about) then he isn't worth knowing.

Still, I can't help myself from wondering what he would be like.

Speak of the devil; my mum is bustling through the door with grocery bags. In one of the bags I can see a box of ice pops, and I smile approvingly.

Seeing my look my mum says, "Well, it is the start of summer. I thought we could have some bonding time over some strawberry ice cream."

"You sure know a way to a girl's heart mum," I reply.

"So what are we going for today?" She asks, referring to which card game we should play. Today it was my turn to choose, "Gin rummy, Solitaire, Bridge or Irish Snaps?"

"Gin rummy is calling out to me," I joke.

"Isn't it always?" she chuckles. Okay, so maybe I always chose the same game, but it was the only one that was a definite win on my part.

As I shuffle and deal, mum pours us some lemonade and brings over the ice pops.

"So..." she starts, all the while looking at my face for any sign that I was about to lay out a killer hand or gin rummy. "Got any plans for the summer?"

"Eh, just the usual, work, work, and maybe a little more work." Okay, I know I sound like a typical teenager, but seriously, if you had to dress in the tiny uniform I had to, just to serve people their damn coffee and bagel, you would be bitter about working too.

"You're really saving for college eh?"

"You know it. If I'm gonna move out of state, I need money for rent, food and all that stuff."

My mum frowned at that. She wasn't jumping for joy about my plans to move away for college after senior year to say the least. "You know, they have a great journalism programme at NYU Cam, won't you at least consider it?" she pleaded.

We'd literally had this conversation a million times, so I decided to save my breath, and compromised with her, saying, "Sure, I'll look into it, but I'm not promising anything." This seemed to satisfy her, at least for the time being.

"You know, maybe you could take some time off work, go visit Tina or something. You must have tons of money by now, working every day after school added with the allowance I give you. You can buy a plane ticket and stay with Aunt Abby, just like old times" Tina was my overly happy cousin who lived in California. We're both seventeen, and because of that our mums think we should get along amazingly well. And it's not that we don't get along, it's just that we are completely different. She's Miss High Heels and Short Skirts, and I'm more of a Miss Jeans and Sneakers kind of girl.

"No, you know I need that money for college! And besides, I don't think I could stand being around Tina for more than a couple of days," I complained.

She gave me a disapproving look then, saying, "Tina is your Cousin Cammie, don't be so rude." I just rolled my eyes at that, and she huffed.

"And besides," I carried on, "I could just as easily buy a ticket to another country with the amount of money it would cost to go to Cali."

My mum stiffened at that, sensing a double meaning in my words. "Don't be ridiculous Cam, what country would you even go to?" she asked, already knowing my answer was England.

I shrugged in response, and got up, sensing that 'bonding time' was over. "Whatever mum, I'll go to Aunt Abby's and spend time with Tina, whatever you want. I know it must be hard for you, having a practically grown up teenager in your apartment whilst you work all day. I wouldn't want to inconvenience you," I say, sarcasm dripping from every word. I knew I was pushing her buttons, but she's made me mad by avoiding the subject of me going to England to meet my dad for the thousandth time.

"Cam, you know it's not like that," she pleaded.

"Whatever mum, I've got work in half an hour. I'll let them know I won't be working for the rest of summer. I need to get ready." She only nodded slightly in response before I left the room.

**AN: So there you have it, chapter 1 :) Please excuse my use of 'mum' instead of 'mom'. I'm British, so sue me! Don't you worry your pretty little heads though, Zach will be in it soon enough! This is a Zammie story; this chapter was just sort of setting the scene. Anyway, I hope you liked it! Don't be shy; drop me a review so I know what you think! ~XOXO**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I definitely do not own Gallagher Girls :(**

**AN: Hey guys, since feedback was so positive, I thought I'd hit you up with chapter 2 ;)**

June 25th, the date of my departure from sunny New York. Also, the day before I turn seventeen. At the moment, I'm sorting through my clothes, slowly ticking off each item on my checklist. Already completed...a big fat ZERO. The thought of actually having to leave the save haven that is Brooklyn makes me want to cry and throw a tantrum, but I don't. There's a light knock on my door, but I don't reply, knowing my mum will come in no matter what.

"How're you getting on Kiddo?" she asks, using her childhood knick-name for me.

"Good." Not.

She just nods silently in response, then comes over and starts sorting my clothes into different piles. Underwear, t-shirts, jeans, dresses. Each set is neatly folded and put into a plastic bag to keep them separate.

"This will be good for you Cam," she blurts. I know she thinks she's right, but she doesn't get it. She doesn't know what living with Tina is really like. "You're a workaholic, this break will be good," she carries on, whilst I tune the rest of her nonsense out.

Abruptly, she turns to me, and asks, "Passport?"

"Packed in my hand luggage," I confirm.

"Boarding Pass?"

"It's in the passport."

"Well, you better get some sleep; it's a long flight tomorrow. You'll need to save your energy."

"Fine, " I mutter, looking away from her. It doesn't matter how hard I try, but I can't stop myself from feeling so annoyed at her for this. I listen to her footsteps get further away from me, and I finish packing my things, ready and prepared for the next day.

In the morning, I wake early, well, early for me. It's eight o'clock, and my flight is at 3. When I walk out into the kitchen, I see my mum has attempted to make pancakes, but they look so messed up that I skip and head for the coco pops kept in the top cupboard. After I'm dressed and ready, it's 10.30. As I drag all of my bags from my bedroom, I see my mum waiting for me by the stairs.

"I'll see you soon Cammie," she says, smiling.

"Yeah, see you," I reply, suddenly feeling tears spring to my eyes. "I'm going to miss you mum."

"Don't worry Cam, It's only a month and a bit. I'll see you in August sweetie." I hug her in response, really not wanting to leave now.

"How about I take these bags downstairs for you and hail a cab. I'll even pay your fare."

I thank her, grateful for not having to spend any more of my college money.

As I hop into the taxi, the driver asks me, "Where to?"

"JFK please," I reply reluctant to give him the address of the start of my torture.

When I arrived at the airport, I struggled with my luggage inside, looking around for my check-in area. I got into a line behind a hysterical woman. Listening to her argue with the staff in front of me, I gathered that it was her wedding in California tomorrow, and they couldn't find her flight booking. The lady was having a full blown panic attack, crying, cursing at the staff and shaking.

Suddenly, and idea popped into my head. Stepping forward, I tapped the lady on the shoulder, and she spun round with a slightly crazed look in her eye.

"Hi, Ma'am?" I asked calmly, sensing she was about to snap.

"Yeah?" she replied, she replied, her voice hoarse from all the crying.

The airport seemed to go silent, everyone waiting for what I had to say. I caught eyes with a boy stood at a check in desk a few metres away. He raised his eyebrow at me, as if to say 'what could you possibly do for this woman?' Shaking my head, I focused back on the lady in front of me.

"I'm supposed to be flying to Cali on this same flight. I...I...My arrival there isn't nearly as important as you getting to your wedding. If you want...you could have my ticket?"

All of a sudden she was crying again, but laughing and smiling at the same time. Hugging me, she cried, "Thank You, thank you!"

"Wait a second," the staff member at the desk cut in, "I don't know if you can just do that!"

"Why the _hell_ not?" I argued, angry that this man was ruining the moment. "It's _my_ ticket, I paid for it, and I can do whatever the hell I want with it! And what I want right now is for this poor woman to get to California for her _freaking_ _wedding_. Do _not_ argue with me now dude, this situation sucks so much already, and you are just the icing on the cake!"

The poor guy looked stunned for a moment, before nodding, clearly conscious of his colleagues judging looks around him. "Of course, of course, and if there is anything else we can do for you, possibly book you another flight to a different destination, we'd be delighted. It is very kind of you to do this for Miss Alvarez here." Nodding, happy that I'd gotten my way and better, I handed my pass over to the lady who must have been 'Miss Alvarez' and ushered her forward.

Once she was all sorted out, she waited near me whilst I went to the desk.

"So, Miss..." he man started.

"Morgan, Cameron Morgan."

"So Miss Morgan, we can offer you accommodation for the night, and get you on the first flight to California tomorrow. Or, you could pick a destination that out airline are flying to today. On offer within the US is Nebraska, Texas or New Mexico. We also have flights to Europe-" I cut him off.

"Europe?" I asked, this catching my attention. What, I was a nearly seventeen year old girl searching for an adventure, so sue me!

"Yes Europe, in particular Italy, France and England."

"England?" I repeated, this _seriously_ catching my attention now.

"Yes Miss Morgan. The flight leaves at four o'clock this afternoon, and lands at Heathrow airport in London at 3 o'clock in the morning local time. Are you interested?"

Now, the logical part of me was telling me to go to California on the first flight tomorrow. My mum would kill me if I even considered leaving for England and not telling her. But the little girl inside of me just wanted her daddy, and maybe definitely wanted to visit all of the stereotypical London tourist destinations.

"Heck yeah I'm interested!" I squealed with excitement, and the man nodded, and put in all of my details, booking me on to the flight. He then ushered me over to the correct back check in for the London flight, and sent my luggage on its way.

When I thought I was finally alone, the lady from before approached me. I'd forgotten that she'd been standing by me throughout this whole ordeal.

"Hi, Miss Alvarez right? I'm Cammie by the way."

"Just call me Eva. Listen Cammie, I just can't thank you enough for doing this for me. I thought I'd have to postpone the wedding and everything. I've been planning this for so long, and I thought it was all going to go to waste. Thank you so much, and I rang my fiancée, he says thank you too. If there's anything we can do to repay you, just ask."

"Don't be silly, it's absolutely fine! Congratulations on your wedding anyway. I hope it all goes well!"

"It will do, thanks to you!" she said with a smile, and with that, she turned and left for her flight to Cali...Or was it my flight to Cali that she was using...? I don't even know! And who cares! I'm about to go to England to find my dad, finally! After all these years, I'll get to meet 'the sperm donor', 'that sorry excuse of a man'.

As I made my way to the waiting area for my flight, all I could think was, 'This better be worth the shit I'm going to be in when mum finds out!'

**AN: So there you have it folks! This was kind of a filler chapter, and I promise, next chapter, THERE WILL BE ZAMMIE. If I get more reviews and stuff I'll carry on updating. Let me know if it's good...bad...horrific. It's the only way I can improve or carry on doing the right thing. ~XOXO**


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